Saints and Sinners
by earinabox
Summary: Katniss was happy with her boyfriend Gale, but they never really clicked. But when a new person comes to town, things get dicey between Katniss and Gale. High School AU, Gale/Katniss, Katniss/Johanna, Peeta/Dellie, Finnick/Annie
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! I just finished up my other fanfiction, and wanted to start a new one. I plan on this being around 20 chapters long, or 30 if I throw in some short ones. This is a new style of writing for me, as I've never written a major thing from first person past tense, but I think it'll be interesting. This will have Finnick/Annie, Katniss/Gale, Peeta/Delly, and Katniss/Johanna. That's not a final list, and if you have any suggestions please tell me! Thanks!

I opened my eyes as my alarm clock screamed, announcing the start of another day of school. Slowly, my arm smacked the alarm, silencing it. There was much to be done today, and I couldn't wait to get started. As always, I checked my calendar right away in the morning. It hung opposite to me, and as always each square was packed to the brim with activities to be done. I'm very efficient with my time; I can never know how much of it is left (something I should now know better than most). I rolled out of bed, excited for the day ahead of me. Walking over to the calendar, I checked what I had to do that day. Two relatively uninteresting papers needed to be written, lunch with a teacher (you never know when a math teacher's favor could be useful), an archery club meeting, and that night, a date with my boyfriend, Gale Hawthorne.

Gale was… interesting. There was no denying he was beautiful; he had the upper body of a swimmer and the face of a model. Most girls at school would have loved to have been with him (not that I would ever allow that), but we had been friends since we were kids. I was never as into him as he was into me. He was just too… Something. At that point, me and him had been dating steadily for the last year. Sure, we'd had hiccups, but nothing my particular brand of problem solving couldn't get over. Later, when things got real bad… I'm getting ahead of myself.

Walking into school that day, I could tell there was something wrong. Death ingrains itself into everything, like smoke after a fire. The whispers were too solemn, to nervous. I checked my phone, looking for the name of the corpse. A dozen messages were sent to me, all referring to a teacher as the victim. I wasn't surprised. Get a thousand people together for four years and one of them's bound to die. One of the more popular girls at my school, Kate Halverson, was breaking down in tears. I severely doubted their genuity. She looked at the people surrounding her from time to time, looking like a baby checking if their cries were being attended to. Another popular girl, but one I respect infinitely more, was attending her, letting Kate's head rest on her shoulder. Delly was slow to say the least, but easily the nicest, happiest person you've ever met. Her smile could bring happiness to the lowliest, most pitiful of creatures. They say ignorance is bliss; maybe there's a kernel of truth in that.

I continued through my day, unperturbed by the recent death. The only effect it had on me was the fact that my lunch was now unfortunately cancelled, so I was stuck at the school that day. I ate in the janitor's closet that day, waiting for Haymitch to arrive. I was halfway through a small quiche when he entered. "Well, hello sweetheart. Here for counseling on your own mortality?"

"No, but there's only so much sniffling a girl can take before she needs some quiet." I replied. Haymitch had come straight from the a tour in Iraq to become a high school janitor. I could tell he was having trouble with the transition; his shaking hand was a telltale sign of post traumatic stress disorder. I had been resistant to him at first; maybe it was the fact that he threw away so much time with his booze. Anyway, we learned to get along with each other.

"Well if you need anything, I'm here for you." Haymitch spread his arms in mock sympathy. Someone knocked twice on the door. Haymitch frowned- this was strange. Most people didn't even know the closet existed.

"Haymitch, is Katniss in there?" Gale's voice resounded through the door. Haymitch raised his eyebrows, silently asking what he should say.

"Yeah, I'm in here!" I walked out of the cramped room into Gale.

"Hello there, Katnip. I was wondering if we were still on for tonight. I know he was your teacher, and-"

"Oh yeah, it's fine. Yeah, we're still on for tonight."

"Ok, just making sure. Remember, if you need anything, I'm here for you." Haymitch, who was watching the affair through the door, started laughing. "Well, I have to go. See you tonight Katniss." He walked away, looking confused at Haymitch.

"Sweetheart, the difference between me and him is that I was kidding." I looked away, unable to hide my blushing face.

"Shut up Haymitch." I re-entered his office, and sat down to my quiche. People put so little effort into food- that probably explains the quantity of sandwiches I see in the cafeteria. That's part of the reason I eat in Haymitch's office often; people look too much like wolves in the cafeteria. Haymitch's radio squawked, asking for his help, and he sighed into it.

"Enjoy your unborn chicken pie." Haymitch paused before answering. "I'll be right there!" he said into his radio, and lumbered out of the closet.

Deciding the office wasn't the same without Haymitch, I finished up quickly and wandered the halls. A tall, blonde boy walked in front of me. I hadn't seen him before, so I assumed he was new. He sat down, pulling out his lunch. I decided to sit next to him, seeing as though I had nothing better to do. He stared at me, confused, but ate his lunch silently. We sat there till the bell ringed. While I was leaving, he said "Bye" quietly. When I realized it was him who said it, he had already scampered off.

I had a free period after that, so I went down to the gym. I had my complaints about my school, but the gymnasium was not one of them. Due to my way with people, I had secured the right from the PE teachers to practice my archery during the period after lunch. Archery was the most calming thing for me. The repetitiveness, the sound of an arrow hitting the target, everything about it screamed stress relief. I had started an archery club in my school to expose others to its relaxing rhythm, and now had 15 members. I continued throughout my day, enjoying the relaxation my lunch mate's death had afforded me. Gale picked me up around 8:00, and we left for the movies.

The date that night was less than satisfactory.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you everyone who favorited and followed! These chapters should be coming every 1 ½ weeks or so. Also, shame on me for using Dellie instead of Delly. Maybe next chapter she'll be deli. Speaking of spelling, does anyone else think Joniss should be Katana? If you have any ships you want to see included, if you post it I'll be significantly more likely to put it in the story.

I looked up from my laptop when I heard the rattling hum of a minivan. Gale's car always sounded like that; he had gotten in an accident two years ago, and like his insurance company, the car had never gotten over it. I started down the stairs to meet him, but my cat, Buttercup blocked the way. She, or possibly he, had a habit of doing this. My little sister Prim adores that little feline, but I personally regard him as no different from a rat except in size. Years of me needing to kick Buttercup out of the way had trained her to scamper away whenever I approached. As I opened the front door to my house, I saw Buttercup had left me a dead bird again. Most people regard their pets giving them corpses as a sign of affection. I don't believe cats are capable of love. As it turns out, cats give dead birds to you in the hope that you'll learn to not be a lousy hunter.

Seeing me approach, Gale climbed out of his car and opened the passenger door for me. "How was your day Katnip?" He asked me as I climbed in.

"Splendid, how was yours?" He slammed the door behind me.

"I've been better. What was with Haymitch earlier?" I blushed a little, remembering the incident.

"Oh, you just had some ketchup on your face." Gale raised his eyebrows at this, but did not pursue the subject. We continued to chat quietly for the rest of the drive. When we arrived at the theater, I saw a familiar face in the ticket line. Johanna Mason was buying a ticket for some bloody war film. Gale had wanted to see it, I remembered, but had reluctantly agreed to see a horror movie with me. Johanna Mason was, unfortunately, Pearson High School's token lesbian. I'm sure she wasn't the only homosexual in my school, but Oldham county, Texas is not the most accepting of places. After she came out of the closet, it became taboo to associate with her. I continued to talk with her, but Gale and the rest of the school didn't. She's one of the few members of archery club; I think she enjoys my company more than anything. Occasionally Haymitch will chase me out of the janitor's closet, claiming I need to socialize with people my own age, and I'll eat lunch with her. You'd think she would be shyer, but she's the most sassy person I know, even topping Haymitch in that respect.

While I was trying to enjoy the brutal murder of a unsuspecting high school teen, Gale was busy flirting with the girl sitting next to him. Perhaps I'm being too harsh on him, as he didn't do anything to egg on the person, but at the same time, he didn't shoo them off either. The girl asked for his number in a hushed whisper as if I wouldn't be able to hear her, and Gale gave it to her. This wasn't exactly the behavior I was expecting from the person who I had known since elementary school, but it wasn't enough to warrant a breakup. Perhaps a stern talk would do the trick.

While we were leaving the theater, I decided to bring up the girl. "So, who should I be expecting to call you now?"

"To be honest, I don't even know." I was surprised by Gale's honesty.

"Well, thanks for your phone." I grabbed his phone from his pocket and stuck it in my purse.

"Hey-" Gale knew not to try to get his phone back from me. Finnick and Annie, who saw the same film as us, seemed to hear this affair. Both seemed amused by it and whispered to each other quietly and looked at us. This was unsurprising to me; Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta are like some sort of Cinderella couple, never having a single wrinkle in their relationship. They met in such a sweet way three years ago and have been dating ever since. I think Annie joined the swimming team specifically to spend more time with Finnick (I expect the fact that Finnick would be shirtless in this time certainly helped). Despite their gossiping, I would consider them both very good friends. Usually, I would have stopped to talk with them, but Gale's slight was more pressing than my need to socialize.

I spent that night with his phone next to me, waiting for a text from a new number. Finally, two hours after the movie, my efforts were rewarded.

_Hey there, are you the guy I met at the movies? _Oh, I would have so much fun with this person.

_Are your the girl I gave my phone number to? ;P _

_Yes. :)_

_I am, too. The guy you met I mean_

_So, what's ur name?_

_Gale Hawthorne, what's yours?_

_Madge Undersee. Pleased to meet you._ I almost felt sorry for this girl. Almost.

_Sorry to be preemptive, but r u single? _Well, that was quick of her.

_Possibly not now ;)_

_Lol you wanna get dinner or something? _I clapped my hands in excitement.

_Sure, where do you wanna go? _

_Anywhere's fine with me. _

_Olive Garden?_

_Sounds good to me. _

_See u there! I gtg. _

_Bye!_

_Bye!_ Oh Gale, you will learn your lesson after this.


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, thanks everyone! The story's been getting lots of good feedback. I'd like to thank watch know movie especially for their incredibly nice review. Remember everyone, treat grammar mistakes like suitcases at airports; if you see something, say something.

I woke to the sound of construction work the next morning. I looked at my clock, seeing it was only 4:30 in the morning. I seriously considered calling the police on whoever thought a jackhammer was an appropriate tool to use this early, but realized my phone was not in arm's reach of my bed. Ah well. I've never been a good person, and taking others down with me seems like a perfectly acceptable strategy.

_Hey Haymitch? Sleeping?_

_I was_

_That's why I messaged you. _I waited awhile and he didn't respond, so I assumed he was falling back asleep.

_Heeeeyyyyyyy Haymitch! _He didn't respond, so I moved onto other members of my community to save from their inappropriately large amount of sleep. Buttercup seemed like a good victim; she couldn't complain to anyone. I poked around the house until I found her sleeping over an air vent. I walked up close to her and clapped my hands loudly. Shrieking, she ran off with her tail straight up and her fur exploding out from her body. I thought for other possible victims, but the only person who popped in my head was my sister, Prim. I couldn't do that to Prim; she's the closest thing to a saint there is. Prim is the sort of person who collects flowers while skipping through meadows while fixing an old goat's leg (you think that hasn't happened). I realize an obvious target would be Madge, but my vengeance isn't directed at her; she's just collateral damage.

I more or less crawled into school later that morning, still blinking away sleep. I had filled my earlier time in the morning preparing a batch of croissants I could now enjoy for lunch. I saw Gale sitting with some of his friends, and decided now was as good as time as any to prepare teach my boyfriend a lesson on faithfulness. "Hey Gale, we have a date tonight!" I could tell he was wary of this.

"Sorry Katnip, I have a-"

"No you don't!" I took out his phone and texted to Madge, _Does 7:00 sound good for you?_ The reply was quick.

_That sounds great!_

"Olive Garden at 7:00 Gale." I put a slightly threatening tone into that statement.

"OK, Katniss, see you there I guess." I walked off before he had the chance to elaborate.

I ate lunch with Haymitch again. His hand was shaking worse than it usually does, which could either mean he's having more nightmares than usual or that he's going sober. Either way, his snarkiness was unaffected.

"So, sweetheart, enjoying your lunch?" I looked up from my baguette to look at Haymitch looking at me.

"Yes?" I knew something was wrong.

"Well, don't get comfy. I told the councilors you're having trouble sleeping and are withdrawing socially. They agreed to talk with you."

"Haymitch you bastard!" I should have known to pick on someone less evil.

"In my defense, you were texting me at four in the morning and you are eating lunch in a janitor's closet."

"Yeah, but I'm eating with you, that doesn't count as social withdrawal."

"No you aren't. Have fun darling." He walked out of the room. I could smell the smugness leave with him. I quickly finished my food and left the room quickly, hoping I could make it to the lunchroom before a counselor could find me. In my haste, I ran straight into the boy again. He dropped his lunch, and we both bent over to grab it. Our hands met, and his lingered just a little too long for comfort. He looked to me for some sign of recognition of this, but I gave none.

He turned beet red and asked me, in a very quiet voice, "What's your name?"

"Katniss." So, he was into me. I wasn't interested, of course, but that could be useful.

"I'm Peeta."

"Nice to meet you Peeta. I'm sorry, but I have to go." I turned and started walking towards the lunchroom.

"Katniss!" Damn you Haymitch. An aging woman walked up to me, breathing heavily from her short walk.. "Hello Katniss, I'm Ms. Coin. Could I speak to you for a second?" Come on Katniss, think your way out of this one.

"Actually, I was enjoying a particularly intimate moment with my boyfriend." I said he could be useful. Peeta looked at me with a combination of joy and nervous terror.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear! Do you have any free periods?"

Yes. "No, I'm sorry."

"Oh that's fine, just come in 7th, would you? I'll make sure your teacher knows you'll be with me." So close, and yet so far. Ms. Coin marched off, continuing her heavy breathing. Peeta turned to me with an almost puppy like expression of hope on his face.

"Sorry to get your hopes up." No, I wasn't.

"Umm, that's fine. Don't worry about it." It was clear this was most definitely not fine. At that moment, I decided I would get this pitiful creature a girlfriend. Maybe this would balance out some other sins.

I walked into the counselor's office, unsure of what to expect. She was sitting at her desk and looked up to me. A grin that made her look like a vulture spread across her face. "Sit down Katniss!" I sat obediently. I couldn't make her think I needed to come back. "So, Katniss, a little birdy told me you have been having some problems lately."

I couldn't help myself. "I wasn't aware drunken, war-torn janitors were considered birds." She seem flummoxed by this.

"That's not who told me." Yes, it was. I cursed myself for being so stupid.

"So, Katniss, why don't you tell me about what's troubling you lately?" I could still salvage this.

"Well, my sister has been sick lately. She isn't sleeping because she's coughing, and I can't sleep with her coughing."

"Aww, that's too bad sweety." Her smile was far too wide to be genuine. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, it's fine, she'll get better soon."

"Well, if you ever need anything, you know where to find me." Yes! "Here's a pass to get back to class."

"Thanks Ms. Coin." I halfway ran out of her office. I hoped this would be the last I saw of Ms. Coin.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello everybody! Thanks for not abandoning me, I know I haven't updated for awhile. Things are going to start speeding up soon, I'm so excited! Hopefully all of you people enjoy this next chapter!

"Hello Gale!" I slipped my arm around his. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well Katniss." Gale was no fool; he knew something was up. I held him until his date arrived.

"Well, go and greet her!" I pushed Gale towards Madge, and he stood awkwardly next to her.

"Gale, what's going on?" Madge asked, seeing me.

"Umm…" Gale turned beet red. I had already gotten a table for three, so we sat down together.

"So I don't quite get what's going on?" The poor girl said.

"Well Gale, why don't you explain what was happening when you met Madge?"

Gale, mumbling, said, "I was on a date with Katniss." Something near his feet must have been very interesting because his head was pointed straight down. While he was distracted, I reached into his pocket and took his keys.

"And why shouldn't you have been giving away your number?"

"Because I'm your boyfriend."

"And generally, do people in long term, devoted relationships give their numbers to random girls flirting with them?"

"No."

"What should a good boyfriend, who had just performed the above mentioned action, do to their girlfriend?"

"I'm so sorry Katniss, I wasn't sure how to say no and-"

"Well, I won't be a cockblock. You two have fun on your date. Gale, the least you can do for Madge is buy her dinner. Madge, get something expensive." I walked out on the pair, making my way for the exit.

The amount of stupid possible in one place is amazing. One old man was complaining about the "Fuzzy math" being taught to his grandchild, talking about how letters were being used in math instead of numbers. Another family was giving a very scientific critique of evolution, questioning that, "If evolution is true, and we come from monkeys, why are the monkeys still around? And why don't we have tails?" I felt a compulsion to rectify these mistakes.

"That's algebra, and it's one of the most important things ever discovered." I said to the first, enjoying the look on his face as he turned around. The next I tapped on the shoulder of the evolutionary doubter and told him, "We don't have tails because they were useless to our ancestors and were therefore deevolved, and monkeys are still around because instead of evolving from monkeys, us and monkeys evolved from a single evolutionary ancestor. Your question is akin to asking how your grandparent and cousin are still alive if you're around." I walked out, feeling better than I had in ages. Correcting people has that effect on me.

I drove home in Gale's car. Although the passenger seat is relatively clean, the driver's seat is covered with bottles and wrappers. I think that possibly Gale just slides any trash from the rest of the car into the driver's seat. It was still early when I got home. I decided advancing my promise to end Peeta's bachelorhood would be a worthwhile investment of my time.

My previous attempts at matchmaker had varying degrees of success. I had catalysed the relationship between Finnick and Annie, which turned out great. Enobaria, despite all evidence otherwise, had turned out to not be gay and not a very accepting person, so my attempt to push her and Johanna together shouldn't be counted. I don't even want to talk about what happened between Beetee and Cashmere. It ended with two hospitalizations. I accounted for one of those. Overall, a 1:1 success/failure rate isn't bad.

Hmm… Who should Peeta be with? I had a diagram of who was with who, but without constant updating it was no longer accurate. Still, it was better than nothing, and I checked the singles section. Most have stayed on there for very good reasons, but one name stood out. Delly was perfect for Peeta; they were both a little on the slow side, around the same level of physical attractivity, and good hearted. I don't usually like to play Cupid; I can't see an arranged relationship, conceived in less than a minute with little logical thought gone into it, as a lasting one. Then again, I suppose I am probably a better judge of who Peeta would love than he is.

_Hey Delly, what's up? _I don't care, but I'll come on as too curious if I don't ask first.

_Nothing much Katniss, just lying about. What about you?_

_Same. _If cherubs are servants of the lord, then I'm playing God right now Delly, but you can't know that.

_Hey, I was wondering, are you single? _

_Yes. _Uh oh, there might be a hint of anger in that answer.

_Why? _Because I need to redeem my soul.

_Just wondering. Gotta go, ttyl! _The die is cast. Even Delly must suspect I have some reason for inquiring on her relationship status. Delly's other half would have to wait. I don't know his number.

The next day was Sunday. My parents seem to think church is necessary for a child's upbringing. For me at least, it only drove me further from religion altogether. Three hours of wasted time is a heresy if there ever was one. These sentiments would not be appreciated in our household, so I have remained a closeted athiest since the age of nine. Prim remains a devout Christian, something I find so cute and innocent. I used to still pray to God, hoping for a response. Xyr silence is not unexpected, given our mutual disdain. I've long rejected both a warm heart above and cruel flame below; it's just us in this world, small and vain.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello guys! Thinking about it, I think this story will be shorter than I previously said. Rather than being around 30 chapters, it will most likely turn up around 15.

On Monday, I decided getting Peeta at interested in Delly was my next priority. I stood by the front doors, waiting for him to come. When he walked in, I followed him until he got to his locker. I memorized the locker number, then left to chat with Haymitch. I found him in his office, as usual, drinking a glass of coffee which was probably fifty percent rum. "Hello sweetheart. Are you looking for dating advice, or did you just want to see my beautiful mug?"

"Both." Haymitch seemed to think I was kidding.

"Gale giving you heartache again? I heard about the whole Madge fiasco, and I have to say, well done darling." This wasn't surprising; Haymitch tracked the social scene closer than I did.

"No, I need advice for getting two strangers together."

"Darling, if I remember correctly, your last attempt at matchmaker ended with you becoming very well acquainted with a knife." It's true, but those were special circumstances.

"Peeta's a wuss, he wouldn't stab me if things went wrong, and Delly's no different."

"Just as long as I don't have to drive you to the hospital. Again. By the way, terrible choice of a pair, those two will be at each other's throats within a month."

"You were driving drunk, we're basically even."

"Whatever you say sweetheart."

"Back to the topic at hand. What would you do to drive them together?" Haymitch is a genius at these sorts of things… As well as all other things.

"I would persuade each of them the other one likes them. Katniss, are you doing this to be a good samaritan or to get clout?" Ouch.

"I am being a good person, and I am offended you would accuse me of being that manipulative." I suppose I haven't been completely honest to you. Though a desire to do the right thing is one of the reasons I pushed Delly and Peeta together, I also had some ulterior motives. Gloss had wanted to get together with Delly for a long time, and I believe he'd decided to make his move soon. Gloss had also tripped Johanna, causing her to fall down a flight of stairs two years before. I can't see Delly going for Gloss over Peeta. Don't mistake my romantic endeavour for vengeance; this is justice at its purest.

"Of course you are. Now head to class before you're late." I obeyed, and went to my first class.

I decided I'd make my first move. I wrote a short note, proclaiming an anonymous person's love for Peeta, then put it in his locker. This should've put him onto the fact that someone's interested. Next on the plate was getting his attraction towards me out of the way without wasting the opportunity it afforded. I'm not sure what he saw in me, but that's inconsequential. Either way, I needed to find a way to eliminate his romantic endeavors while preserving me as a friend. I wasn't sure if he knew I was dating Gale; if not, that could provide an easy out. Otherwise, I supposed I could make him think I'm gay. That could have some long term complications, and its success would hinge on his opinion towards the LGBT community. No, this was too risky. Simply telling him I wasn't into him would not necessarily put him off. I went to sleep that night infuriated with my own ineptitude.

I very rarely remember my dreams. From my entire life, I can recall a grand total of three dreams; one from when I was seven, one from when I was twelve, and this one, which I had when I was seventeen. The first two were nightmares in which I killed myself in painful ways. The third, however, was a much more important and… pleasurable experience. To go into detail would be to be inappropriate, but in it I had sex with Johanna Mason. WI hadn't thought of her in a romantic way before this dream, but afterward I was enthralled with her. Logically, I knew it was unlikely she was interested in me, and that openly showing my interest in her would create a multitude of problems, but that didn't stop me from making plans to get us together. The stickler in all of these was Gale; he would be potentially dangerous if broke up with him. One year of dating and ten years of friendship doesn't end easily. He could be a threat to himself, others, or most importantly, me. This enigma followed me the next day, gnawing at me until I realized the only course of action. I would have to kill Gale.


End file.
